Thanks a lot Timesplitter. And to at least make some use of this thread: Does anyone else feel that Rei I literally embodies sorrow? This is one of the few songs that makes me tear up. Is it just my unconscious mind associating it with Rei, or is it really that sad?

Rei I does imbody sorrow , becasue if you listen to music it is sad. The reason for this is that Rei in general is sad and unhappy , unless she is around gendo. This is until she and Shinji get to know each other in the middle of the series , and then unforuntatly , she dies ( like a hero).

When she decided to sarifice herself , she was show that she had made progress during the series and that she was content. But unforuntatly the sadness was still there, but it had faded during the series to reveal a caring character.

I have too much anime, yet it's not enough. Anime Addict, if it were a drug; I'd be dead.

Well, I see those chord progressions (A-minor x 2, G, F, B x 2, F from what I can tell) simply as Rei's theme. I see Rei I as the embodiment of Loneliness rather than sorrow. Sorrow can be associated with it.Rei, in my opinion, is a lonely character.Rei II did not have that theme, as it is associated with her encounters with Shinji. I won't comment on that.Rei III reprises her original theme but is then expressed like it was the ultimate power of Earth - which it was. The tables have turned; the neglected has rised. Rei III, I think, is very interesting.

So getting back to Rei I, she is like the embodiment of loneliness, and she really reflects that loneliness in all people: everyone is essentially alone (as they said was because of the AT-Fields), and we are reminded by this music that we are alone.Rei I is loneliness, and the lonely are sad.